Blog

Come out this Thursday and Friday for the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Riverton and Lander, co-hosted by the Wyoming Outdoor Council and Wild Iris Mountain Sports!

The festival will take us to some of the most beautiful places on the planet, introducing us to wildlife, adventurers, and activists from around the world—including Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain Region.

Get your advanced purchased tickets in Lander at Wild Iris Mountain Sports at 166 Main Street or the Wyoming Outdoor Council at 262 Lincoln Street.

TICKETS:

Advanced purchase: Adults $8; 12 yrs and under $4 At the door: Adults $10; 12 yrs and under $5 Students $5 (includes a one-year membership)

FREE ADMISSION with a first time Wyoming Outdoor Council membership, $15

Films Showing Thursday and Friday

The Man Who Lived on His BikeGuillaume Blanchet
JUST FOR FUN

“I love being on a bike. It helps me feel free. I get it from my dad. After 382 days spent riding through the streets of Montreal, being sometimes quite cold, sometimes quite hot – and sometimes quite scared, I dedicate this movie to him.” Best Short Film, Francophone FF; Jury, Boston Bike FF; People’s Choice, Bike Reel FF. (Canada, 2012, 3min)

The Last Ice Merchant (El Último Hielero)Sandy Patch
CLIMATE CHANGE

For over 50 years Baltazar Ushca has harvested the glacial ice of Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo. His brothers, both raised as ice merchants, have long since retired from the mountain. This is a story of cultural change and how three brothers have adapted to it. Best Short Doc, Woodstock FF, Woods Hole FF and Napa Valley FF. www.thelasticemerchant.com (USA/Ecuador, 2012, 14min)

What if an answer to climate change was found beneath your feet? The Soil Solution explores the fascinating world of soil and documents the ranchers, farmers, and scientists who conserve, protect, and regenerate our natural resource. Healthy soil may provide a biologically-based, low cost solution to global climate change. We speak with those on the cutting edge of soil science who are ushering in a new system of farming and ranching that works with nature, instead of against it. These methods have the potential to provide us with nutritious food, improved health, cleaner water, and a healthier planet. www.sustainableworldmedia.com (USA, 2012, 30 min)

Sand RiderSamuel Bricker, Nathan Ward, William Kreutzer
ADVENTURE

Colorado native Marc Pastore grew up snowboarding the snow covered peaks of the San Juan Mountains but in the warm months he earns his turns climbing up the North America’s largest sand dunes in The Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve. With his hand-made, sand-specific board in hand, Marc climbs 2,000 vertical feet per run to experience other worldly views and a unique riding experience in the middle one of the U.S.’s natural wonders. Spanning over 100,000 acres and 6,000 feet of elevation gain up to 13,600 feet, Elk, Bison and reptiles roam the area at the base of the 14,000 foot Sangre De Cristo Range. (USA, 2011, 4min

Stories of TRUST: Calling for Climate Recovery, Part 6: TRUST Colorado | Stories of TRUST is the perfect trifecta of law, science, justice and daring youth who are pursuing what has been recognized as the last best chance to protect our atmosphere. In Part 6, meet Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, an 11-year old activist who shares, “The proof of climate change is everywhere. In my lifetime the amount of forest killed by beetles has expanded. The number of acres burned has intensified. My generation is losing our forests. We are losing our homes. It’s not too late to ensure a livable future but we need to listen to the science and act now.” Best Environmental Film, Backcountry FF. (8min)

TailingsSam Price-Waldman
ENERGY

Just outside the snowy, crumbling town of Grants, New Mexico, is a 200-acre pile of toxic uranium waste, known as tailings. After 30 years of failed cleanup, the waste has deeply contaminated the air and water near the former uranium capital of the world. While those in town want the prosperity that new uranium mining would bring, the 200 residents who live near the tailings pile have had enough of the uranium legacy. TAILINGS is a cinematic, Gasland-esque investigation into the little-known conflict that is a grim reminder of the past, and a timely notice for the future of nuclear energy. Best New Mexico Short Film, Santa Fe Independent FF. www.tailingsfilm.com (USA, 2012, 12min)

You know those movies where the kids get together and do something awesome? When they unite to overcome insurmountable odds? Maybe win the championship from the favored bad guys. Maybe embark on an epic quest to stop the grown ups from doing something stupid. This is one of those movies, except this one really happened. This is the story of a group of great kids that worked day and night to save the California State Parks that they love – this is ‘How The Kids Saved The Parks’. www.plusmproductions.com (USA, 2012, 14min)

Streams of ConsequenceJames Q Martin, Chris Kasar
WATER & ENERGY

In summer 2010, photographer James ‘Q’ Martin and conservation biologist Chris Kassar started an organization called Rios Libres. The organization uses multi-media to join the fight to protect the wild lands of Patagonia from proposed dams that threaten two of the most pristine rivers in one of the world’s most spectacular regions. Last April, Q traveled south once again and landed in the thick of some of the largest anti-dam protests the country has ever seen. He captured historic footage of the protests, then spent nine weeks traveling the length of the country talking to gauchos, scientists, activists and the public in search of answers. The result is a solution-based film that addresses the hard questions that remained unanswered in Rios Libres’s first film: “What does an alternative energy model look like?” “How do the Chileans feel about it?” and “Could Chile become a global leader by gaining energy independence via green technology?” www.rioslibres.com (USA, 2012, 25min)

Last LightNick Waggoner, Ben Sturgelewski
ADVENTURE

There is an undeniable magic in alpenglow– the final seconds of a day’s light that give mountains impossible texture and life before falling into shadow. In the endless spring hours of Haines, Alaska, light is as bountiful as snow. But to capture the best of both, that singularly lit moment that turns powder into frozen red fire, you must live all day in the midst of them; ready to drop in long after the helicopters have gone home and your line is made magic in the last of the light. Featuring Stephan Drake, Forrest Shearer, and Johan Jonsson and presented by Patagonia. Best Short Film, New Zealand FF. www.sweetgrass-productions.com (USA, 2011, 6min)